The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1887-09-21
TWO cHrnDxEN OF ronrr~r.

wv N"thDNE|N oI foISbl Ne.
Thomas and Laura billiard, OF Lauren,
County, Suddenly Becomes IIciIs to :
Fortune of Sixteen Hundred Thousan,
Dollars.
AsHEvILrE, N. c., September 10. A
large fortune has just been left by vii
to the children Of q citizen of this place
70 Thomas billiard and Miss Laur,
billiard, aged respectively fourteen and
eleven years, has been given the sum ot
eight hundred thousand dollars each
These muniticcnt legacies were LETT then
0y wealthy uncle who has recently
died in California
IL appears that In the year 1880, jusI
before tho great excitement about the
gold attracted such tide Of fortune
seekers to California, from RaSuu coun.
! ~, Georgia, went several men TO ii,
their luck on the Pacific Slope. Amonc
these was one James McCurry. TIL,
party stopped at Placervillc, FL Dorado
county. at the end OF the first vru
! McCurry had saved enough money from
his wages as miner to purchase fifty
acres OF land near that place. This he
! dld against tho remonstrance of his
! friends, but it soon was discovered to be
rich in gold deposits. McCury sold
TINS property without working it further
than sufficient to develop it for sale, and
| Tor 1t he got from II Boston syndicate
| $500, COO. This was the foundation of
! his fortune and with this he purchased
other lands in that section and found
other rich deposits of gold on them.
These mines he worked, and it is said
that tho McCurry mines were amog the
richest IN that State, so remarkably rich
then in this metal,
On tho 22d of last month McCurrv
died, and having never had any family
OF his own, his property was left to his
relatives. MIR. George ". Dillard. q
lawyer of this city, married Il sister of
James McCUrry n Miss Nancy Margaret
McCurry. Mr.. billiard and these two
children, Thomas and Lmra, survive
her. y copy of the will has been re
ccived by MIR. billiard, md it gives to
the heirs ut law OF his sister Nancy
Margaret Dillard, sixteen hundred thou
SAND dollars.
1t is thought much difficulty will he
found III securing guardians for these
children. They are now residents of
Laurcns, ,. g., but ore TO come here,
shortly, and the letters Of guardianship
viii he taken out here The laws Of this
state require bond to be fled hv
guardians in double the value Of tho
estate. In this case, even if a guardian
were appointed lOr each child, the bonds
would bavc to be for one million and
SIX hundred ,hou~und dollars ca u.
ih'n tncfo Is tue further legal REQUIRE
lncnt ;itat The Canadian shull account for
The intcrrst on his wards funds ut Is ucr
cent. pc agunm, nnG tits is compomld.
ed. Thus are the difficulties cyi1cu; in
regard to the management of thoso an.
nnai' : large lcgacics. The local plpcr,
cont@in lengthy and minnie accounts Of
thc n"tter. Mr.. Diinrd was formerly "A
member OF the Spn,t .nbug hur, and IL
known more or less III other sections Of
South Carolina.
lFron The Ashovinc Advance, september 81
In conversation with MIR. Dilord Wv
to-day, he sad:
"Nir. McCurry was always rcca,lnI .s
4 peculiar man, but he was MS sharp nt n
hrinr. Soon mftur he went - California
he became uljcuutad from thr rrI,tivrS
Inc had left behind him and ceased nil
correspondence with them. Years passed
when he was not heard from at ,I
Finally his family We're snrnrjscJ 1n"
day by receiving 4 letter from Mr. Nc
Curry. He said that he was sick aud
wanted 500 to como home with. The
money WAS sent, but in IA few weeks il
WAS returned, accompanied by "a STATE.
mcnt that it was not needed.
Years after this circumstances | wrot.
TO lawyer in Calfornn, asking for in
formation regarding James McCtrry.
He answered that he knew him well, and
that he was one Of the millionaircs Of the
Golden State.
"Whcn my wife died in 1881, at Web
stcr, n. c., sent Mr.. McCurry an an .
nounccmcnt Of her death The answer
] received to this letter made an inaniry
in regard to tho number of children
and also wrote him. Two have since